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Advice on pruning geraniums

bapw163bapw163 Posts: 40
in Plants
Hello, I have a medium pot in the corner of my sheltered patio with a jasmine growing very nicely. 
Also in the pot I have had geraniums growing successfully throughout the summer but they have become a bit leggy and straggly even though they are still producing flowers. I also had some geraniums growing nicely for two years in small hanging pots on the roof terrace. Again, they now look a bit all over the place, more stalk than bloom if you see what I mean and a bit 'wild'. As a novice my answer has been to prune them right back to just the stalks. This is in the hope that they bloom and grow again next spring and summer. Is that the right thing to have done or should I just dig them all up and start again? Attached first is a pic of one I have pruned right back so you can see if I've been too keen. Attached second is an example of the ones in pots on the roof terrace. Should I give them the same treatment or leave as is?
Any guidance gratefully received.


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  • chickychicky Posts: 10,410
    Not sure where you are in the country @bapw163 , but your geraniums are actually pelargoniums, and are not hardy, so will not survive any frosts.  If they are in a sheltered corner by the house you might be lucky, otherwise you will have to buy new next year.

    some people take cuttings from them to keep them going year to year- but that relies on you having a frost free place to overwinter the cuttings.
  • bapw163bapw163 Posts: 40
    Agh, it would help if I knew my own plants wouldn't it? Well the ones in the troughs up on the roof terrace have bloomed nicely for two years even though they are exposed on the terrace. That said the whole area is pretty sheltered as I live in a terraced house in West London. I wouldn't know whether to call my roof terrace exposed or sheltered. It's certainly exposed to the sun in the summer and it gets windy enough to blow my bay tree down in the winter but I don't know whether either of those two things are a good enough guide. 
    In the first picture, is that how harsh one should be when paring back pelargoniums, geraniums and the like?
    Thank you for your reply btw
  • CeresCeres Posts: 2,698
    That is just how you should cut back pelargoniums although maybe a little closer to the joint, but I would have left them alone until the spring. I too have managed to overwinter the things outside in the shelter of the house wall but I don't cut them back until late spring when they are starting to show some new growth. I am of the opinion (nothing scientific involved here, just a hunch) that keeping the leaves on over winter helps to insulate the core a little bit......the external growth can take the brunt of the wind and rain but if it is really cold then the whole plant will turn to mush.
    It might be an idea to dig up the ones you have pruned and pot them up to bring indoors for the winter as that way they stand a fighting chance of living and should put on some new growth over the next few months. I'll be honest....some of the pelargoniums I bring indoors for the winter do not take kindly to being under cover and can look absolutely vile but they all perk up once they go outside again.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I think I'd do what @Ceres suggests @bapw163, and bring them inside for the winter. They may well survive outside, as you've already seen, and  many people in the south have reported that they've been able to do that, but some will also be sturdier than others, as with so many plants. 
    As @chicky has said, taking cuttings is always a good back up too, and they can be kept inside on a windowsill or similar, but unfortunately, you've missed the boat for that this year.
    If they survive, and grow well, you could consider that for next year though, and you can have some separate pots for them. As your jasmine grows, you may need to do that anyway, to cut down on the competition for moisture and nutrients etc   :)

    Don't worry about getting the name 'wrong' either. It's an age old debate, and we see it every year on the forum. Most people just ask the question if there's no photo to determine it. Again, as chicky said, the difference lies in the hardiness of the two types.  You'll be well prepped for next year now  ;)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 3,580
    I found this guide useful when deciding what to do with mine.  It supports what you've been advised above!

    How to Overwinter Geraniums | Blog at Thompson & Morgan (thompson-morgan.com)
    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.


  • Nanny BeachNanny Beach Posts: 8,719
    The Garden Centers all call them geraniums,as well..I actually leave some larger ones out over winter (East Sussex) the hanging basket and pots smaller ones,go into a green house,shed or garage would suffice. I don't cut them back till next spring,then they romp away. Are you able to check the outside temperature,you probably have the London microclimate.
  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 3,580
    Do the ones you keep indoors continue to grow and flower @Nanny Beach and do you water them?  (The video in the link above claims that you can get flowers all year.)
    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.


  • bapw163bapw163 Posts: 40
    Nanny Beach said:
    The Garden Centers all call them geraniums,as well..I actually leave some larger ones out over winter (East Sussex) the hanging basket and pots smaller ones,go into a green house,shed or garage would suffice. I don't cut them back till next spring,then they romp away. Are you able to check the outside temperature,you probably have the London microclimate.
    Yes I'm in a pretty built up part of london so it seems the plants do survive even on the roof terrace. So the general rule is not to prune until spring is it? I find that counter intuitive because that's when I'd be expecting them to be flowering. What am I missing?
  • Red mapleRed maple Posts: 1,138
    Is there room on your terrace for a small mini greenhouse? If there is, you could put your trimmed pelargoniums in there to over winter them. I’ve done that with mine (plus taken some cuttings at the same time which I have brought indoors and placed on a sunny windowsill). The trick is to keep them frost free. So, like you, I trimmed them right down, and wrapped some fleece around the pots, then I will mostly leave them alone - just checking occasionally to see that they are free of mould. (If any show signs of that, I will remove them). Good luck.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    They're generally summer flowering @bapw163, but the actual timing will vary according to location. Because of where you are, it's quite likely that they're flowering much earlier than they would in other, colder areas. 
    As @Nanny Beach says, leaving the foliage on over winter gives a layer of protection, so it's usually a better idea to wait. Much the same as cutting back some shrubs like Hydrangeas, because the old flower heads protect new growth on those as it comes through in spring    :)
    If you opt for lifting them, but don't have room for the little g'house @Red maple suggests, a cold frame would even do - even a very basic one cobbled together with some bricks and perspex or similar. Up against the house/flat walls helps with protection too  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
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